Democrats hate atheists too!

Since consummation of the perverse union between the radical Christian right and the Republican Party, news coverage might lead you to believe that hatin’ on atheists is the sole prerogative of Republicans. That just isn’t so, as revealed in no uncertain terms during an April 2 hearing before the Illinois House of Representatives’ State Government Administration Committee.

During the hearing Democratic Rep. Monique Davis went off on well-known atheist/activist Rob Sherman of Sherman v. Community Consolidated Sch. Dist. 21fame. Sherman was testifying that the governor’s proposal to donate $1 million in taxpayer money to rebuild a Baptist church that burned down a couple years back was unconstitutional. Given the terms and structure of the U.S. Constitution — and the Illinois Constitution, for that matter — Sherman’s stance should be entirely uncontroversial. In an era where many a wealthy and powerful person is entirely dedicated to Jesusizing government, though, pretty much nothing an atheist has to say qua atheist is uncontroversial.

Davis: I don’t know what you have against God, but some of us don’t have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings. And it’s really a tragedy — it’s tragic — when a person who is engaged in anything related to God, they want to fight. They want to fight prayer in school.

I don’t see you (Sherman) fighting guns in school. You know?

I’m trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illinois. This is the Land of Lincoln. This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God, where people believe in protecting their children.… What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it’s dangerous–

Sherman: What’s dangerous, ma’am?

Davis: It’s dangerous to the progression of this state. And it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Now you will go to court to fight kids to have the opportunity to be quiet for a minute. But damn if you’ll go to [court] to fight for them to keep guns out of their hands. I am fed up! Get out of that seat!

Sherman: Thank you for sharing your perspective with me, and I’m sure that if this matter does go to court—

Davis: You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

It’s very easy for us nonbelievers to get spun up over a story like this and start overgeneralizing. Happens all the time. But, as the comments to Mr. Zorn’s blog entry and the links therein show, hate mongering nutburgers like Davis don’t speak for all believers. We shouldn’t lose sight of that fact.